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Wallcoverings have come a long way since the days of fuzzy, flocked papers in garish colors. Today, the erstwhile decorative product offers added value in the form of LEED credits, antimicrobial coatings, and even light-transmitting properties. Read on to see what’s on our radar.

Designed by Karen Hsu of Omnivore and Keryn Dizon, this pattern has a 27 ½-inch repeat; 27-inch-wide rolls are 15 feet long. The delicate photographic image comes in four standard colorways, with custom colors available; on clay-coat paper or silver mylar.

Sketches from the Trace application over a site image (Courtesy Morpholio)

Two new apps are helping to change the relationship between architecture and technology, allowing architects and designers to sketch and trace and view augmented reality 3-D renderings right on their iPads.

As its name suggests, the Trace app from the Morpholio Project allows users to draw—with a stylus or a finger—over digitized manilla-yellow tracing paper and sketch graphic concepts directly onto an iPad screen. Designers can add new layers of Trace, creating a timeline for the design process and allowing for easy sharing between colleagues.